THE SWEATSHOP GYMhttp://thesweatshopgym.com
The One Stop Fitness ShopTue, 13 Feb 2018 00:53:25 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.4http://thesweatshopgym.com/wp-ssg-content/uploads/2014/08/Web-Logo1-150x150.pngTHE SWEATSHOP GYMhttp://thesweatshopgym.com
3232Whatever Wednesday: A Few Good Guideshttp://thesweatshopgym.com/whatever-wednesday-a-few-good-guides/
http://thesweatshopgym.com/whatever-wednesday-a-few-good-guides/#respondTue, 13 Feb 2018 00:53:25 +0000http://thesweatshopgym.com/?p=6434So this week I wanted to share with you all some of the apps or personalities on social media that I follow to help me stay inspired, sane, informed, and in control of my healthy habits.
So, in the beginning of my health journey I made it a point to stop following “foodie” accounts and blogs. Why? Because most of those accounts tend to post pictures of trendy foods that aren’t exactly thehealthiest and I wanted to go and try them all. So instead I decided to unfollow those and follow accounts that reflected the type of lifestyle that I wanted to lead. So here are a few of them. Some, I use for food inspiration while others I follow for lifestyle inspiration.
Instagram-
@Healthyminutemeals
@Healthy_ish
@Withpeanutbutterontop
@Thehealthyfoodgallery
@_thinking_healthy
@sarahs_day
I’ve also recently started reading some health blogs and these are just a few that I’ve found interesting articles on:
Fitfoodiefinds.com
Mindbodygreen.com
Toneitup.com
MyFitnessPal blog
I’ve recently been into watching lifestyle vlogs and seeing what other people do and eat to stay fit so I follow these people on YouTube.
Cambria Joy
Sarahs Day
HealthNut Nutrition
Oh and of course some guy named
Bradlee Crihfield
And finally, there are some amazing apps that I would recommend you download and give a try.
Apps-
MyFitnessPal (great way to log your food intake and keep track of your macros)
Yummly (you can find so many great recipes for meal prep)
Nike Training Club (I love this app! Whenever I’m in need of a quick workout at home I turn to this app)
Fooducate (this app has interesting articles on food and nutrition)
Simplehabit (I’ve been trying to get into meditation and practicing mental wellness, so this app has great meditations for beginners)
So, yeah. This was my compiled list, I’d love to hear any recommendations of blogs, accounts, or apps that you follow.
– Letty
]]>http://thesweatshopgym.com/whatever-wednesday-a-few-good-guides/feed/0Sweatshop Insider: Creature of Habithttp://thesweatshopgym.com/sweatshop-insider-creature-of-habit/
http://thesweatshopgym.com/sweatshop-insider-creature-of-habit/#respondTue, 06 Feb 2018 03:58:08 +0000http://thesweatshopgym.com/?p=6409Though it may not be obvious, or a big part of my past life, I used to be pretty overweight. As in over 215 lbs and pre-diabetic. It actually took me a few years before I tried to do anything about it though, and it wasn’t something that I could maintain without support.

Like many people, I thought I didn’t have enough time or it would take far too many big changes in my lifestyle. I was working full time and the idea of taking extra hours to go to the gym or cook my food (or, you know, sleep properly) was just something I figured wouldn’t work with my schedule.

Of course, then I got annoyed with getting nowhere, I got a personal trainer, and even just the few sessions a week and simple changes in my habits started working – fast. The biggest change? Tracking my meals and eating simple, quick to prep meals that just gave me the fuel I need. It actually made my schedule simpler, and not having to think about what to eat that day made my life easier. It actually freed up my time (especially around dinner) because I spent so much less time trying to decide what to eat.

Just knowing my set of go-to meals, having only those in my house, and making sure they were all fast and easy to prepare took a lot of stress out of my life. Even eating out was simpler – I was always the person having to special-order food because of my lactose intolerance. Limiting carbs or other goal-unfriendly foods was just another box to check on my mental special-order list. In fact, it was so easy that the people who worked in restaurants I frequented practically knew my order before I made it, which made it even easier for my indecisive brain because of how ridiculously convenient it was to just say “yeah, the usual”.

Why not use convenience FOR you, right?

– Xin-min Lai

]]>http://thesweatshopgym.com/sweatshop-insider-creature-of-habit/feed/0Keep It Simple Sillyhttp://thesweatshopgym.com/keep-it-simple-silly/
http://thesweatshopgym.com/keep-it-simple-silly/#respondSun, 04 Feb 2018 00:57:29 +0000http://thesweatshopgym.com/?p=6403Today’s entry is short and sweet. Because that’s the point. Many of us fall short of achieving our health or fitness goals because we over complicate things. Stop it! Just stop doing that!

Working out doesn’t mean you have to transform yourself into a bodybuilding, rock climbing, cycling extraordinaire overnight. It can mean taking a 15 or 30 min walk on a break at work or getting an hour weight or cardio session in after work. The key is consistency. Try to make a routine of it. Something realistic that’s not intimidating. Then you build from there. Trust me, if you make it a priority and keep pushing yourself you will begin to expand the intensity. I see too many people try to jump into some huge weekly exercise routine, and burnout within a couple weeks because they thought they had to do it that way.

This is how i look at meal prep as well. Meal prep doesn’t have to take over your life. It sounds like a gargantuan task involving expertise, skill, and time, but really it’s not. Trust me, you can do meal prep in a way that fits your lifestyle without having to give up your entire weekend and never see your friends again. Let’s think smaller scale here. Just prep a few meals or snacks in advance. Last night I prepackaged almonds in snack baggies for quick easy grabbing on the go as I made dinner. I also boiled 6 eggs and paired them with a string cheese each. Also, since Ive been extra strapped for time I prep lunch salads in advance. I get the bagged salad with yummy cabbage and add a few items like sunflower seeds, onion, and a protein (usually hard boiled egg or chicken leftover from dinner). I can make 2 to 3 lunches from each bag. It’s quick and easy and most of all it saves me from grabbing something processed when I’m starving and it didn’t take more than 15 minutes to put together all 3.

The trick is thinking about what you’ll eat the day before and planning it out. Really, you don’t have time for that? How long have you been on Facebook just today? So, as I was saying, go ahead and make a quick plan. Just think of your main meals and a couple snack options in between.

Stress… Frustration… Anger… but over all just feeling tired and overwhelmed. That was the start of my week. I’ve had a couple of those weeks this past year and I’ve noticed that I often let those emotions get the best of me and often impede me from performing well during workouts and keeping up with my nutrition. Every time I have one of those days I try and remind myself to use those emotions to my advantage and kill my workout. I remind myself that I’m only hurting myself if I let those feelings affect me in a negative way. It never crosses my mind to skip the gym because I’ve already made it part of my daily routine but even when I show up I feel like I’m not fully there. But it all still helps. It helps to have a great group of people around you who encourage you to keep going. It helps to have trainers around you who are gonna make you work harder even when you don’t want to, or better yet make you work harder because they notice how crappy your day has been. I completed my workouts but I did slip up, I ate a couple of things that I know I shouldn’t have. It’s gonna happen, and that’s that. I had a rough start to my week but I’m not gonna let that determine how my week will end.

This week’s Whatever Wednesday was more of an introspective reflection, a journal, a way for me to vent and for you to maybe read something that will help motivate you through these upcoming weeks, no matter what kind of week you’re having.

Letty

]]>http://thesweatshopgym.com/stop-for-nothingwhatever-wednesday/feed/0But I Hate Cardio!http://thesweatshopgym.com/but-i-hate-cardio/
http://thesweatshopgym.com/but-i-hate-cardio/#respondTue, 30 Jan 2018 02:54:38 +0000http://thesweatshopgym.com/?p=6386I’m not a great runner. Every time Brad tells me I have to run, I dread it with the fire of a thousand suns. It’s pretty much constant discomfort, but cardio is a necessity if you want to stay healthy and active. So what to do?

When I was training for MMA a few years ago, I would have to cut weight for each fight. That basically means sweating a lot without injuring yourself or wearing out your body, which means lots of extra cardio. Since running didn’t fit that criteria for me, it was spin bike to the rescue!

On the spin bike, you can push your heart rate up enough to sweat rivers, but there’s not all that stress on the knees and various other joints. When I did spin classes run by Laura or Brad, it was always a killer workout, even with my various joint problems.

When it was just me getting in those extra calorie burns to cut weight, I could lose myself in a pre-fight playlist without putting extra pressure on knees that had to last through 3 rounds of combat the next day. I just threw on a hoodie and some sweats and pretty much guaranteed I’d make weight. When it’s either make weight or don’t compete, is there really a choice? Do what you need to make it happen.

I’ll probably never be a fan of cardio – give me lifting or one of Brad’s wrestling workouts any day – but when you gotta do it, make it count, right?

]]>http://thesweatshopgym.com/but-i-hate-cardio/feed/0It’s About the Journey, Not the Destinationhttp://thesweatshopgym.com/6377-2/
http://thesweatshopgym.com/6377-2/#respondFri, 26 Jan 2018 20:52:06 +0000http://thesweatshopgym.com/?p=6377It’s About the Journey, Not the Destination

Sometimes we drift off course and lose sight of the big picture. We do it in all aspects of our lives and that’s okay. The key, however, is to find our way again. Maybe we take a turn down a different road and alter our path but ultimately we should be able to refocus with a solid understanding of why we’re doing what we do. I feel this is a meaningful topic because it’s a common one yet it is not commonly vocalized. So often fitness gets reduced to a set of numbers and an aesthetically pleasing outcome. The other benefits are overshadowed by impatience and desire for immediate gratification. But, there’s so much more than just a number to consider. The health benefits, physical as well as mental, are reason alone. Let’s not forget the people we meet, friends we make and the overall positive atmosphere the gym encompasses to name just a few. So, it’s important to remind ourselves of the other benefits when we begin to trail off course or become disenchanted with slow results.

One of the top reasons I push myself to prioritize working out is my mental health. I have anxiety and exercise has been the best thing I’ve found for relief. Pushing my body past my mental roadblocks relieves actual physical stress. I leave the gym feeling refreshed and strong and that’s worth a lot. I’ve also had the pleasure of meeting some pretty awesome people with the same mind set. The individual goals themselves may not always be the same but the overall objective is; put in work to achieve a desired outcome and maintain that goal moving forward. Part of becoming who you want to be is surrounding yourself with like minded individuals. Don’t get me wrong, my pre-baby jeans have been calling my name from the depths of my closet for some months now but the point is that there’s so much more to exercise than just losing weight and when when we’re cognizant of all the many benefits we have more reasons to keep making it a priority.

-Amanda Crihfield

]]>http://thesweatshopgym.com/6377-2/feed/0My Weight-loss Hackshttp://thesweatshopgym.com/my-weight-loss-hacks/
http://thesweatshopgym.com/my-weight-loss-hacks/#respondFri, 26 Jan 2018 05:57:57 +0000http://thesweatshopgym.com/?p=6364“Whatever Thursday?” I know I’m a day late, but I sat down to type up the post last night and was falling asleep. I wanted to make sure I was coherent enough to write something so I called it a night. Better late than never.

So this week I got overwhelming feedback on the type of posts you’d like to read or questions you’d like me to answer and decided that I’d do a small FAQ post. Hope you don’t mind.

How do you stop yourself from snowballing when you have eaten something you’re not suppose to?

I obviously try not to have many slip ups but I’m only human and I’m a sucker for sweets. I immediately feel guilty after having it so it makes it easier to just make better choices for the rest of the day. It’s easier to just say no and walk away from it then eat it and then have to work harder at the gym to save the progress you have made.

What kind of snacks do you eat?

I keep it pretty basic. String cheese, almonds, sunflower seeds, and hard boiled eggs. I’ve been trying to cut down on the peanut butter because it’s so damn good sometimes I’ll have too much. I also need to have more veggies as snacks so I’ve been packing celery sticks and cherry tomatoes in my lunch bag.

What new routines or habits have you established since you started your health journey?

Making it a priority to go to the gym has been one of the main routines that I’ve established. I pack my gym bag every morning and take it with me to work because I know that if I head home first I might get too comfortable and be tempted to skip the gym.

Going to bed at a reasonable time and getting enough sleep has been a big change. I used to be somewhat of a night owl and had a hard time falling asleep at night, but I find myself to be more of a productive early bird now so I go to sleep early and wake up early.

Other small changes that I’ve found myself doing are, taking the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator anywhere I go, or heading straight to the back or far end of the parking lot.

What do you do in social situations when there is a lot of drinking and unhealthy eating going on?

If there’s drinking going on and we’re going out to the bar then I usually designated myself as the driver. Also I’ve learned that I can’t hold my alcohol as much as I used to, so that really turns me away from it because I don’t wanna be the “lightweight.” As far as eating goes, if your going out then eat before you head out or look up the menu at the place where you’re heading to and plan accordingly. Know what you want to order before you get there. If you’re going out to a barbecue, take a side dish of something you can eat.

Don’t worry, it happens to everybody. The question is, what do/will you do to keep it fun?

Other than good form there aren’t any rules dictating how to workout or how to keep fitness fun and exciting. Because it should be. It should be something we look forward to. That’s how we make it a part of our lives.

A few ideas have to do with changing up the workout itself. Don’t get stuck doing the same movements with the same reps in the same order because that’s what you’re comfortable with. You can take a basic routine and instead of doing 25 reps x 4 for each movement go ahead and set a stopwatch for 1 min and burn yourself out. Take note of how many reps you did and try to beat your score the next time. Or switch that up. Do a set number (or the whole routine) and time how long it takes you to complete. Keep beating yourself.

Remind yourself what a beast you are and challenge yourself to go outside your box and conquer something new. Do you love lifting but cringe when you hear your trainer say run or the “c” word (cardio)? If you take classes, try a different class that makes you work differently. Love spin but loathe heavy weights? Pick one that you despise and handle it. Make it yours. Even if you don’t end up loving it you’ve still attempted a change that could open up your fitness world.

Think about what interests you. I like music with bass. So I splurged on nice headphones and I crank it up for my workouts. It makes such a big difference.

Let’s talk about failure. Throughout this continuous weight loss journey it’s important to make goals. I tend to be the type of person who sets small tangible goals because of my fear of failure. So when I first started the Largest Loser program the coaches asked me what my overall weight loss goal was, I was afraid to answer because I hadn’t really thought that far ahead. Ofcourse I knew I had over 100 lbs to lose but I didn’t know whether I would ever get there. Over a year later, I finally see the importance of making those big goals. I was 319lbs at my heaviest and my goal was to be under 300lbs by the end of my first season. Finale came and my final weigh in marked 300.2lbs. It bothered me, I’m not gonna lie, it bothered me that I was that close! But I began to reflect on my progress and on all of the other goals that I had unexpectedly met. I did my first real sit up, tried my first spin class, learned that I could enjoy coffee without sugar. That small failure fueled me to try even harder the next season. I was under 300 within the next couple of days and although I did celebrate it, by then I was already focused on my next goal. Many times we feel discouraged when we don’t see progress towards our goal but so long as you’re working towards it, you’re already making gains in other aspects. I’ve learned to set big goals because even if I fall short, I’ve already made progress. 175! The answer I gave the coaches was that I wanted to reach 175lbs. Over a year later, I’m still working towards that goal and have accomplished so much along the way. I plan to meet that goal by the end of this season and if I fail it’ll be ok! It’s true when they say that it’s about the journey not the destination. Make goals, make big goals and don’t be afraid to fail at them.

So… eating. We all love food and it’s the main reason why we’re all here. Those of you that have had the opportunity to attend the Nutrition Seminars know of the importance of Nutrient Timing and keeping up with your macros. When I first started making healthier choices I detoxed for the first 15 days and yes I did see weight loss but then what? One of the biggest changes I made was meal prepping. Here are some of the reasons why it worked for me:

1. portion control- I learned to eat what was on my plate and not go back for seconds.

2. convenience- Sure, meal prepping can take a big chunk of your day on Sunday but once you have it all in the fridge and ready to go, it’s amazing. The last thing I want to do after a workout is go home and cook dinner.

3. It taught me how to eat- when you’re first starting out you want to keep it really basic. Lunch: salad. Dinner: lean protein and veggies.

4. It taught me how to cook- Once I mastered reason number 3, I was able to experiment with different ingredients and come up with pretty delicious recipes. I also learned that for the most part I can substitute one or two ingredients and make my guilty favorites into a low carb meal.

5. Nutrient Timing- once you have your meals ready, it’s so much easier to fit your meals into your Nutrient Timing schedule. Whether you workout in the morning, afternoon, or evening you can interchange your meals according to your schedule.

Give it a try, whether you meal prep on your own or community meal prep at the gym, it can make that difference in your weight loss goals.